Panther's Claw
by NoBuses
Summary: When family issues escalate to military level, what will become of our unlikely hero? T for violence, character death and adult themes - you have been warned! Faberry, Brittanna, Kum, Finn/Kicking Chairs...
1. Who am I?

**So this is just a short chapter introducing my first Glee fic, Panther's Claw. It's all a bit of a mystery at the moment, but I promise I will make the title and description make sense :3 **

**Enjoy!**

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A loud crack brought the girl to attention. Before opening her eyes, she noticed that she appeared to be sprawled across a cold, possibly laminate or tile flooring, and it was far from comfortable. Hearing another loud bang, she opened one eye cautiously. From what she could see, which wasn't very much in her current position, she was surrounded by soft red seating, and there was a surface over her head, supported by a pole – a table! So she was clearly in some kind of eating establishment... But where? How did she get here? But more importantly... Who was she? She wasn't sure. Another loud noise, inexplicably louder than the first two made her shoot up into a sitting position, banging her head on the table with a dull thump. _Owch! _She thought.

"3 o'clock we have movement, I repeat, we have movement."

"Roger that. Moving in on target now."

_What on earth..._

Suddenly, a large pair of combat boots stopped just inside her line of vision on the right. She could see the man – for surely those feet were too large to be a woman's – checking under nearby benches to her left, and another similarly sized person checking the tables on her right. She had to think of a plan, and quickly.

She shuffled forwards slightly, getting a better view of the mystery figures. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was like being part of a real life action movie. Two men, clad in black head to toe, were advancing towards her. One had a large pistol in his hand, another strapped to each thigh, the other had a deadly looking knife in a sheath on his belt, its serrated blade catching the light and gleaming dangerously. The man on her left was slightly taller than the other, and appeared to be walking with a slight limp. _Am I in a warzone? _She wondered to herself. Distracted by the soldier on the left, she failed to notice the other one turning to check underneath her table, finding her hiding place and roughly dragging her out by her ankle.

"Hello, little miss," he taunted, and through his ski mask she could see the menacing gleam in his eye as her unsheathed his weapon. He drew the knife high into the air, and if she could have remembered it, her life would have flashed before her eyes. _I'm going to die and I don't even know who I am. I wonder what they'll put on my gravestone?_ She closed her eyes, waiting for the blade to fall.


	2. Who are you?

**I bet you hated me for that cliffhanger... Apologies :P**

**This has had a lot more interest than I thought it would, thanks everybody!**

**Enjoy...**

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Suddenly, the wielder of the viscous blade dropped to the floor, mouth still bent into an evil smirk, and a very aerodynamic looking knife buried in the base of his skull. His partner, who had been advancing towards the table to enjoy the kill, spun around in the direction the knife had been thrown from, shooting blindly towards the restaurant counter. The only casualties, however, were a bottle of ketchup and the cash register. With a graceful swooshing sound, another blade flew through the air, striking the man right between the eyes with a horrible squelching sound. Grimacing, the girl cringed from her hiding place as he fell in front of her, mouth open in a surprised "o" shape. A pool of blood formed around his head as his killer emerged from the shadows near the diner's kitchen.

She was of reasonable height, probably about 5 foot 9, and the first thing anyone would notice about her was her hair. It was short, wild and fluorescent pink. _That can't be very stealthy,_ the terrified yet curious hidden girl thought to herself. She had a nice figure, her curves accentuated by her tight black combat trousers and the skinny fit black vest top she was wearing. She had a deadly looking sub-machine gun hanging from her left hip, a Heckler and Koch 9mm MP5, although the girl hiding under the table didn't know that. Ammunition clips and two remaining throwing knives also hung from her belt. Her black combat boots made no sound as she quietly made her way around the room, checking for possible tangos, but after she checked a few dark areas and looked under a few table, she deemed the room to be safe. She then began to sweep the room, obviously looking for the scared young woman.

Unsure of what to do, she made a bold decision. Stepping out from her hiding place, she spoke in a shaky voice.

"H-hello?"

The pink-haired commando spun around, reflex causing her to whip a knife from her belt, and she held it poised over her right shoulder, ready to throw it.

The scared girl raised her hands slowly to shoulder level, and her knees began to shake. She didn't know the intentions of the other woman, and was finding it incredibly hard to gauge her expression as her eyes were hidden by a pair of blackout aviator glasses.

The woman lowered the knife, and walked quickly towards the still shaking civilian. Reaching her, she placed her hand gently on her bare shoulder.

"Rachel Berry?" She asked in a low, gentle voice.

"I-I'm not sure... I was unconscious and I am currently unable to r-remember the events leading to this unfortunate situation, including who I am and what this... establishment is," the other woman rambled.

"I've read your file. Rachel Barbra Berry, 22 years old and currently a part of operation Panther's Claw. Does any of that sound familiar?"

The smaller woman took the chance to look down over herself, noticing she was wearing sensible flat shoes, a knee-length blue skirt with pleats in it, and an argyle sweater which didn't quite fit to her shape. She was slim, roughly 5 foot 2, and had straight brown hair that flowed down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. She took the opportunity to look at her face in the reflective surface of the other woman's glasses, and saw wide chocolate pools, fear and confusion just below the surface, and between them a rather large nose.

"Barbra... that's the only part that sounds familiar. But that does sound like my name, however, judging from my diminutive physique I would have placed my age somewhere around eighteen years, as I do not seem to have finished growing yet and -"

"Your file also highlighted your tendency to ramble and use long words," the other woman said with a hint of a smile in her voice.

One of the soldiers' walkie talkies crackled, an announcement from a man with a deep voice informing them that if they failed to establish contact within the next 60 seconds, a team of reinforcements would be sent in.

"We're not safe here. Come with me, we'll take you to base and I'll explain everything in more detail," said the taller woman, offering her hand to the scared girl.

"I don't even know who you are!" Objected Rachel, hesitating before grabbing her soft hand and running towards the kitchen, her shorter legs having no trouble keeping up with the other woman.

The other woman glanced down at her, and smiled slightly.

"Officer Fabray. But you can call me Quinn."

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**Dun dun duuuuun! I'll try and update as soon as possible. Reviews are welcome ;)**


	3. Meet The Family Part One

**This is turning out to be much longer than expected. Originally I had a 14 chapter plan, but this chapter only just hits the edge of what I planned to be chapter 2... Oh well! Enjoy**

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When they reached the kitchen, an unmarked black van was backed into the loading bay waiting for them. They climbed in quickly, hearing the sound of boots behind them as the reinforcements arrived. Luckily, they had driven away before the soldiers even realised they were there. They were soon on their way.

Unfortunately for Quinn, the tiny brunette didn't stop talking for entire journey to HQ, asking questions and rambling in general.

"Who are you?"

"I already told you. Officer Qui-"

"Yes, I know that much, I meant who you _really _are, as in what is your purpose, who do you work for and oh my God watch your speed! If I get killed I will personally see to it that-"

_Her file wasn't wrong, _thought Quinn, tuning out of the girl's threats. _Annoying, noisy, and that sweater... eugh!_

They were cruising down an unidentifiable stretch of road. The last town they passed had been over 20 miles back, and the blonde was really beginning to miss the sound of silence.

"Rachel, listen. Not to be rude, but it isn't my place to give you the facts on our organisation. You will be briefed by Commander Puckerman once we reach a more secure location."

"But I want to know _now!" _She whined, like a toddler who had been refused an ice cream.

Quinn just rolled her eyes, thankful there were only a few more miles to go.

* * *

Rachel looked at their destination with extreme confusion plastered across her face.

"We're on the top floor of an underground parking garage," she stated simply, her confusion doing all the asking for her.

"I know you must be confused. Just bear with me."

Quinn parked in space P4, and removed the keys from the ignition after shutting off the engine. Rachel's confused frown grew even more. The taller woman took the key fob and pressed and held the lock button, waiting a few seconds and then repeating the action. Suddenly, the entire parking space shook, and slowly began to rise on some kind of hydraulic poles. Straight towards the hard, unforgiving rock ceiling.

For the second time in as many hours, Rachel's life would have flashed before her eyes, if she could remember it.

She heard the metal ceiling of the van hit the rock and begin to crumple – or at least she thought she did. She screamed, closing her eyes and cursing Quinn Fabray.

* * *

She awoke to the sound of laughter. Quinn, a man and a woman were barely managing to stand, doubled over clutching their sides, tears streaming down their faces.

"I think – oh God – I think that's the funniest thing I've ever – I've ever seen," Commander Noah Puckerman managed to blurt out between wheezes and coughs.

"Damn I wasn't expecting the bitch to pass out! That was a mean trick Fabray, you coulda warned her or somethin'," Corporal Santana Lopez spluttered, wiping her eyes and grinning.

"B-but... I heard the roof..." Rachel said, bewildered. She had fainted for a few seconds in sheer terror, and was less than pleased with the welcome she had received.

Quinn held up a foil sweet wrapper, and crinkled it in Santana's ear, who then pretended to faint, prompting a new laughing fit to rise between the group, Rachel not included.

"The ceiling you were just – ah – _acquainted_ with was a hologram, Miss Berry. I'm sorry for their less than mature behaviour, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Rachel shook the proffered hand. It came from a young man in a wheelchair. He was wearing glasses and his hair was combed over to the right hand side. Clad in a smart black suit with shiny shoes and a bright red tie, he certainly looked more sophisticated than his co-workers.

"I'm Officer Artie Abrams. I work with electronics. At least a computer can provide you with a straight answer when you ask it, eh?" The young man chuckled, tipping his head towards the group.

"I heard that, wheels!" said the latina, smiling as she punched him softly in the arm. Rachel could tell this group shared a close bond, and wanted to find out more.

"Why don't you give Miss Berry a tour of the facility," the Commander said, smiling at Quinn.

The blonde took Rachel by the arm, and led her towards a huge set of double doors, which slid open automatically as they approached.

"I'm sorry for that prank. We don't get many guests, in fact we very rarely see anyone other than each other."

"It's okay, Quinn, I was just rather alarmed."

The taller blonde smiled, and still clutching the smaller woman's arm, began to show her around.

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**I think I'm gonna really writing the next chapter. **

**If I ever mess up with ranks, like putting someone in charge of someone they shouldn't be, pleeeease let me know, I don't know about ranks in the US Army, I just know they're slightly different.**

**And on another note, I get my GCSE results in less than 7 hours! Wish me luck :)**

**Reviews motivate me to upload faster *hint hint* ;)**


	4. Meet The Family Part Two

**Sorry for making you wait this long for an update. I promise it wont happen again :) love you guys, reviews are always welcome *cough* xD**

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"So, I figure we can start at the far end and work our way back," Quinn said, as Rachel gazed in wonderment at all the technology lying around.

Her arm still clutched in Quinn's, Rachel looked up at the taller woman. Things had been happening so fast that she had barely had a chance to study the woman's features. _She has pretty eyes, _she thought to herself. _I've always liked hazel... at least I think I have._ It wasn't just the colour, though. The look contained within them – a mix between pride, sadness and something Rachel couldn't even identify. _She's been through a lot._

Quinn Fabray liked to think of herself as a hardened character. At the tender age of 16, she had become pregnant after a drunken one night stand with a certain Commander. However, she had given her child away to one Shelby Corcoran. Last she heard, a few months back, they were living in Michigan, the latest victim of a Panther strike. She didn't know what had happened to Shelby, or her daughter. But she was determined to find out.

"That sounds great. So, this, um... facility, what is its purpose?"

"We're a sub-division of the US government, stationed here as the eastern front of Operation Panther's Claw. There are currently 5 divisions; northern, western, southern, central - which is based in Washington DC - and us. Our unit has 10 members, we're the smallest. Central, codename 'Charlie' is the largest, with 25 on a good day, but none of their members are permanent. We've all been here, living together for the past 6 months. Some days we want to kill ourselves or each other, and Santana is prone to break out in Spanish swearing if somebody even thinks about touching her shower gel, but we get along most of the time."

"Sounds like fun," Rachel joked, making Quinn's face light up in a soft smile.

"Everyone has their limits, Miss Berry." She said, the smile fading.

They walked in silence for another few seconds, Rachel pondering what she meant, arms still linked and although they didn't notice, steps perfectly in sync.

* * *

"We're here," Quinn said, interrupting Rachel's train of thought, and gesturing to a large set of dark metallic doors, almost black. Quinn leant forward, her hair touching Rachel's shoulder as she reached for the keypad, and the brunette couldn't help but inhale the smell of her shampoo. _Mmm, strawberries._

Quinn typed in a complicated series of numbers that Rachel wouldn't have been able to remember even if she had tried, and the doors slid open noiselessly. The rooms occupants turned to face her, and she was happy to see a familiar face.

"Hello again, Mr Abrams," she said, smiling.

"Please, call me Artie. Nice to see you again," he replied, nodding politely and turning back to his computer screen, resuming some complicated string of text, white letters on a blue background. It all looked very confusing.

There was a huge bank of computer screens lined up in a semi-circle where Artie was. Behind him was a large mahogany table, looking slightly out of place among the hi-tech machinery, with a map that covered it entirely. It was quite a large room, with quite a high ceiling to say it was carved out of the rock in a hillside somewhere. The walls and ceiling had been left as just bare rock, and it was a great contrast between the beeping monitors, computers, printers and God knows what that machine over there did.

There were three new people in this room. One was a young Asian man, quite tall and skinny, who was wearing a simple black trousers and white shirt combination. He sat in front of a similar screen to Artie's, and his fingers flew over a keyboard, faster than Rachel thought humanly possible.

"That's Officer Mike Chang. He's one of the resident nerds here in ND."

"I resent that comment," he murmured, a hint of a smile in his voice.

"ND?" Rachel questioned.

"New Directions. It's Noah and Tana's little name for ourselves, a bit of a joke if you will. They were drunk one night, and they were having an emotional moment, and were sat on the floor crying over their lives or something, I don't know, I wasn't there. They decided that they've screwed up in the past but they were provided with a second chance, a new direction to take. They'll deny it if you ask them, although it's a great blackmail tool," Quinn finished with a chuckle and a conspiratorial wink.

The other two residents of the room were deep in conversation in the far corner. The taller of the two had medium length blonde hair, and wore a shirt under a grey jumper with chinos on the bottom. He looked very young compared to the other members of the team. The other was a brunette, with perfectly styled hair, a white blazer jacket and skinny black trousers. The blonde man was sat on the edge of the other's work station, and he told a joke, making the smaller man laugh.

"That's Cadet Sam Evans. He's new here, came in last week with another recruit. He's fitting in quite well, as you can probably see for yourself. His _boyfriend_," Quinn said the word louder than the rest of the sentence, causing the two men to look over, and both women to giggle slightly. "That's Officer Kurt Hummel. If you ever need fashion tips, he's your man." The comment incited another laugh from Rachel.

"They work in logistics, you know, planning, research _etcetera._ If it weren't for them, you would still be cowering under a table in some dive in Ohio. They located you, got blueprints for the building, found me a way in and out and all under 15 minutes. They need awards."

Rachel smiled warmly at them, and they waved over to her, acknowledging her thanks before continuing their flirtations.

"Well, that's pretty much all there is to see here. The next area is the hospital," said Quinn. Rachel looked wide-eyed at the thought of an entire hospital underground. "Don't worry, it's pretty small."

They turned again and left the room, arms still linked, and with two pairs of eyes watching them.

* * *

"Gaydar?" Questioned Sam with a grin.

"Off the scale." replied Kurt with gentle nod, smiling at the thought of his superior finding someone she deserved. After all, since he had begun dating Sam, she was the only one who was truly alone in the facility. Well, except for that other new recruit. But in all honestly, that was never gonna happen.


	5. Meet The Family Part Three

**I'm so so so so so so sorry for not updating faster, I've just started at college (british college, not the american kind :P) and I've just been so inundated with work, so I will try to give you another chapter tonight or tomorrow. This is barely spell checked and proof read, and I'm not overly happy with it, but it's not a very important chapter. There's a big reveal coming in the next chapter... Be ready for it ;) enjoy!**

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Quinn led Rachel back down the long corridor. The base was arranged in a rough L shape, with the tech labs right at the end, the medical centre in the right angle of the L, command central, the kitchen, dining area and relaxation room on the left and the bathrooms and dorms on the right, the entrance being right at the top of the layout. The whole place was very modernised, to say it was a glorified cave.

Still arm in arm with the shorter woman, Quinn opened a set of double doors on her right hand side, leading Rachel inside.

"This room is our own little hospital. At the moment, we have two medics; Tina, and Brittany."

An extremely enthusiastic blonde bounced her way over to Rachel, closely followed by an equally excited Asian girl. Neither of them looked to be more than twenty.

"Hi I'm Brittany! Quinn, is this the girl Lord Tubbington had a vision of?"

Rachel looked at both blondes with a confused frown on her face, and Quinn quickly explained.

"Lord Tubbington is a cat Brittany has had since she was a kitten. She refused to part with her and made them write into her contract the he could come with her, and, well, she's one of the best medics in the country, so of course they accepted. She's saved all our lives on many occasions, so has Tina," the asian girl smiled and nodded, "We used to have more medics, but unfortunately, we lost Officer Karofsky and Officer Smythe in a blast from an IED a couple of months back. We're still waiting for some new staff to arrive, but we're all right, for now," Quinn continued, a sad look on her face.

Quinn turned back to Brittany, and replied with a straight face, "Yes, it is. Give him an extra treat tonight."

"I'll go do it now! I mean, permission to... to...," Brittany seemed to find it hard to get the question out, and stuck her tongue out, brow furrowed in deep concentration. Quinn laughed, finding the sight adorable.

"Permission granted, Officer Lopez-Pierce." Brittany beamed at her and ran off giggling happily.

"Don't mind her, she's a sweetheart," said Tina, smiling at Rachel.

"She seems very... eccentric," She replied, returning the smile warmly.

"You get used to it, " Quinn said with a small laugh. "Anyway, Officer Chang, we'll most likely see you later. Places to go, people to see, you know how it is."

"Okay, Quinn," Tina said. "I'll take inventory on our supplies, see what we need to order in this week.

"Good. We'll leave you to it." The blonde said, as she turned to exit the room, the small brunette still clinging to her arm.

* * *

One they were out in the hallway, Rachel questioned Quinn.

"Lopez-Pierce? As in Corporal Lopez?"

"Yeah. Long story short, Noah, as commander of the base, has the right to perform marriage in here, kind of like a ship's captain. They've been together since high school, took a job together, and refused to be placed in separate bases. It's a good thing I guess, I hate to think what S would be like if B wasn't here. She's fiery without her – a couple of months ago, Brittany caught the flu, and Lopez spent that entire week either at her bedside, screaming at Puckerman or shooting things."

"I assumed, from the combined surnames, that they were married, but I was wondering why Santana kept her own surname?"

"Her Abuela doesn't approve of her sexuality. She tried to sell her once, you know."

Rachel smiled, already sensing a strong family resemblance, but pitying the latina.

The women kept walking down the long corridor, past the dorms and bathrooms as Quinn declared they weren't that interesting, pausing only to inform Rachel that she could sleep in her room as there were no spares, as long as she didn't mind sharing a bed. Rachel's heart fluttered as she accepted the offer, though she was not sure why.

Turning to a room on the left, Quinn said to Rachel in a hushed tone, "This is the last room, the common room, if you like. Our newest recruit is in here, he came in with Kurt, but he is extremely dim. None of us are sure how he got the job, he's some kind of bomb expert I think... Just don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

They entered the room and were faced with a gangly young man, no more than 20 years of age, playing on a pinball machine and tapping his feet out of sync with the song playing over the radio. He looked to be about 6 foot 2, had short brown hair and wiggled his hips in a way that suggested he was a very bad dancer. He turned around, and Rachel took in his lopsided smile. Yes, he was cute, in a gassy infant kind of way, no, she wasn't attracted to him. She didn't know why, she just sensed that he wasn't her type.

"Hello, Miss, erm..." he trailed off, sounding a bit pathetic.

"Berry. Rachel Berry." She extended her hand, but he looked at her as if she was diseased.

"Berry?! Quinn, Berry as in Berry Berry? But I thought Berrys were bad, very bad..." He looked at Quinn and tilted his head in the same manner a dog may tilt its head if it is unsure of something.

"Finn you fuckwit. Just be quiet and sit down." Quinn snapped, giving a very confused Rachel a look of 'I told you so', and leaving Finn looking angry at being put in his place. He stormed over to the other side of the room, kicking over a stack of chairs before exiting, 'Game Over' displaying brightly on his pinball machine. Quinn sighed. Unlinking her arm from Rachel's for the first time, she walked over to a button on the wall with a microphone next to it, and, holding the button, she spoke. "Can all staff please attend a meeting in the rec room within the next ten minutes. Again, urgent meeting in the rec room in ten minutes."

* * *

Rachel sat down on a soft baby blue couch, and was soon joined by Quinn. The blonde's leg brushed lightly against hers, and she couldn't help but blush, something stirring inside her at the close contact in an intimate area. Quinn felt the brunette flinch slightly and smiled to herself. Quinn had felt something for the smaller girl since she first gazed into her deep chocolate eyes, even if she was mildly annoying, she thought she was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. _Game on, Berry, _Quinn thought, as Rachel recovered and shuffled closer to her on the couch.

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**A/N - Aside from the story, can I ask you guys for some advice? I'll just assume you said yes... I'm arranging a Halloween party, and I was wondering which sound like a better idea for a costume - one of the Addam's family characters, a zombie nerd, a heavy metal zombie or a zombie hippy? If you answer me I will love you forever xxxxxxxxxx**


	6. It's All Fun And Games, Until It Isn't

**I know I promised a fast update, I didn't think I would have the next chapter ready within an hour though! Oh well, you guys won't mind ;) much love, enjoy!**

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Rachel took the next ten minutes as an opportunity to survey the room that lay before her. Compared to the rest of the base, this room was very old fashioned, classically styled, with dark wood and deep burgundy wallpaper on the walls and a thick grey carpet that threatened to engulf her tiny feet. A large, fancy light fitting hung from the roof, illuminating the whole room in a soft light. There were 6 sofas identical to the blue one the women were seated on, with varying shades of brown and burgundy cushions scattered about. Against one wall were a couple of pinball machines and other games, including an Xbox 360 wired up to a huge wall-mounted tv.

"Eyeing up my baby?" Quinn asked with a chuckle as she saw Rachel stare at the games console.

"I think... I think I used to have one. I'm not sure how I know that, but it looks too familiar."

"I hold the high score on every game. Puckerman nearly hit me last time I beat him at Call of Duty."

"I also have a feeling that I was pretty good, you know. Better than good."

"Game on." Quinn strode over to the console, grabbing two of the four controllers and throwing on at the brunette. The game loaded quickly, and they spent the next few minutes in intense concentration.

* * *

Kurt and Sam were the first to arrive. They paused outside the door, and chuckled as they listened to the commotion from inside.

"No Rachel! No! You fucking midget! I'm gonna _KILL YOU!" _Quinn screamed, as Rachel killed her for the thirtieth time, with only one death whilst she was still getting the hang of the controls.

Just as Sam and Kurt entered the room, Quinn launched herself at a laughing Rachel, playfully hitting her and laughing herself.

"I would call that a highly successful game. Face it Fabray, you suck."

"Hmph, beginner's luck. Seeing as you're an amnesiac and all."

"I seem to be remembering more and more as time passes. It's like drops coming through a dam – I just need something that will open the floodgates," Rachel explained, staring at Quinn as she bent over to put the controllers back where they belong. Both men saw exactly where her eyes were directed and shared a knowing look. Kurt coughed to announce their presence, as the women had obviously not heard them enter.

"Oh, Evans, Hummel – take a seat, please."

They chose the couch with the most cushions, directly opposite the girls, and Sam placed his hand on Kurt's knee. Rachel didn't even flinch as she observed the affectionate gesture, confirming what they both already knew – this girl was definitely gay for Fabray.

Next to enter the room was Brittany, with an extremely overweight tabby cat in one arm – _she must be very strong, _thought Rachel – and her other hand linking pinkies with her partner. Santana seemed very relaxed compared to the fiery personality Rachel had encountered earlier, and she took note of the effect Brittany had on her, realising Quinn wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.

Slowly, the rest of the crew arrived, with the exception of Finn. After almost fifteen minutes, Quinn rolled her eyes and sighed, reaching for the intercom but being interrupted by Santana, who snatched it and screamed down it, "Finnept, if you don't get your ass to the rec room _right now _I will make your life even more miserable than your one lonely brain cell is in that big empty head of yours. You have thirty seconds before I come out there and unleash Snix all over the place. 29... 28..."

Before she even managed to reach 25, Finn flew through the doors, tripped over a small table and went flying into a sofa. Puck stifled a laugh, and helped him up to sit on the couch next to him.

"Now that we're all here," he began, smiling as Quinn, Santana and Kurt glared at Finn, who turned a shade of red and looked at the floor. "I'll begin."

"Rachel, you're probably wondering what the hell is going on here. Well, Fabray has explained some of the basics I'm sure, but there is a lot we need to fill you in on.

"I'm sure she mentioned Operation Panther's Claw – I'll start here. The Panthers are a group of terrorists bent on world domination. How cliché, I know. Not much is known about them. It's our job to find out more. Our little set up here is one of five in the country, we work around the clock to find information, track members and prevent attacks of terrorism. The most recent on was in a small town called Lima in Ohio. That's where we picked you up. You were located by Artie and Kurt in the wreckage of a restaurant called Breadsticks. Is this ringing any bells?" Rachel shook her head with an apologetic look on her face. "Oh. Never mind. We had been looking for you for a long time – seems like the Panthers have been too. Luckily, Miss Fabray here saved you. You're a key element of this whole operation, though command central haven't bothered to inform us why yet. Trust me, you will know as soon as we do.

"What we do know however, is every time they perform a major attack, the bombs are always set off in the shape of a letter S. Whether this is significant or just coincidence, we don't know, but it's something our researchers have been looking into for months now with no leads. We have, however, received many demands from them. They want nuclear missile codes. They are attacking increasingly more populated areas, and each time their demands increase. It started with just a few nukes. Then, after they took out a couple of small towns in Texas, they added a few nukes. Next it was a small area of Michigan, nothing too big. The press began to pick up on the attacks, and we've been working hard to control the media, making sure nothing vital is released to the general public. We've been putting out different stories, accident at a gas station, unfortunate underground gas leaks, that kind of thing. But it's getting harder and harder to cover up.

"So we need to act. And soon. They're only getting worse. That's where you come in, Rachel."

"But I don't even... I mean, I'm unsure as to who Rachel really is at the moment, I have no memory as to who I am, much less how I can be of service to your cause. I would love to help, but I don't know how," the tiny brunette said in a small voice, feeling overwhelmed at the weight on her shoulders.

"Neither do we, so try not to feel to pressured. Now, onto the meeting. Abrams, anything to report from research?"

Artie, who had positioned his wheelchair at the end of one row of couches, pushed himself a few metres across the room so everyone could see him.

"Actually... We kind of had a breakthrough today."

All eyes in the room focused intently on him, and he brushed his fringe across his forehead before continuing in a louder voice.

"We discovered your mystery S fellow. We had theories as to the meaning of it – it's a name. Their leader. We managed to hack into their computers, and were very quickly ejected. Sam was concerned that we may have given them a way to track us, but I disagree. But that is unimportant. Their leader is infamous in the criminal underworld. Their name is -"

But nobody heard him finish, as he was drowned out by an ear splitting klaxon, screaming an intruder alert to the group. Santana, Puck and Quinn were immediately on their feet, Quinn simultaneously flicking her pink-streaked hair out of her eyes and pulling her Sig Sauer from her hip holster. They charged out of the room, Santana wielding a pair of deadly looking katanas and puck following, clutching a very manly shotgun. The rest of the crew charged out, holding assorted weapons they seemed to have produced from nowhere, whilst Rachel looked on in bewilderment.

* * *

**Sorry if you hate me for the cliffhanger, but you'll live ;) I promise I won't leave you this long without an update ever again x**


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